WHO KNOWS what happened! With just days to go before the first Pinotage Festival of 2023 came news that the Stellenbosch event scheduled for 13 May had been cancelled. No doubt many wine lovers were looking forward to seeing who would be strutting their stuff and, for just R150pp, getting to compare the different styles. One wonders how many of the most highly rated expressions of the variety would have been on show, i.e. as reviewed by the most respected panels locally and internationally during the year to date – see below.

Two of the wines that stand out big time are Stellenbosch’s Beeslaar, own label of Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar, and Rijk’s Reserve from Tulbagh – two of the Top 10 in the SA Pinotage Classification of the best track records over the past 10 years and each recommended by no fewer than three panels of experts over the past 12 months. Also among the most warmly received are a couple of wines which at the time of writing were still available from the producers at under R200pb, namely Du Plevaux Jean Prieur from Imbuko in Wellington and Windmeul Reserve of Paarl.

Next Pinotage festival? The Pinotage & Biltong Festival at Allée Bleue in Franschhoek end-July.

 

TOP PINOTAGE: MAY ‘22 – APRIL ‘23

Beeslaar 2020
R620pb ex-producer, Stellenbosch

Bellingham Bernard Series Bush Vine 2019
R220pb ex-Franschhoek Cellar

Beyerskloof Winemakers Reserve 2018
R260pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch

Bowwood 2019
R439pb ex-Vondeling, Voor-Paardeberg, Paarl

Brink 2019
R90pb ex-Pulpit Rock, Riebeek West

De Grendel Amandelboord 2020
R260pb ex-cellar, Panorama-Durbanville

Diemersdal Reserve 2020
R180pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

Du Plevaux Jean Prieur 2021
R125pb ex-Imbuko, Wellington

Flagstone Writer’s Block 2020
R380pb ex-cellar, Strand/Somerset West

Francois van Niekerk 2020
R500pb ex-producer, Wellington

illimis 2021
R215pb ex-producer, Somerset West

Kaapzicht Steytler 2020
R730pb ex-cellar, Bottelary-Stellenbosch

Kanonkop Black Label 2020/19
R2200pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Kanonkop 2019
R490pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Koelenbosch Director’s Reserve 2020
R300pb ex-Koelenhof, Stellenbosch

Neil Ellis Bottelary Hills 2018
R325pb ex-cellar, Helshoogte-Stellenbosch

Rijk’s Reserve 2016
R560pb ex-cellar, Tulbagh

Simonsig Redhill 2019
R500pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch ‘1679’ Old Vine 2020
R375pb ex-Koelenhof, Stellenbosch

Survivor Reserve 2020
R400pb ex-Overhex, Worcester

Warwick First Lady 2020
R110pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Windmeul Reserve 2019
R150pb ex-cellar, Paarl